NI Executive – Page 32 – Slugger O'Toole

“They’re not putting a time scale on it”

Pete Baker on November 12, 2010, 11:03 pm

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It shouldn’t be a surprise that as the BBC reports, “Northern Ireland to be last UK nation to fix a budget”. A mandatory coalition, by its nature, will generally find such a process more difficult than a voluntary coalition. But according to that BBC report On Friday, the Sinn Fein [Northern Ireland] Regional Development Minister [Sinn Féin’s] Conor Murphy said no budget would be agreed within the next two weeks. Mr Murphy said a draft budget “cannot be about a …

Owen Paterson: “it is appropriate that the First Minister and Deputy First Minister first discuss that with me”

Pete Baker on November 10, 2010, 7:05 pm

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Just in case there was any doubt, during Northern Ireland Questions in the House of Commons today, the NI Secretary of State, Owen Paterson, took the opportunity to set out the new ground rules for the NI First and deputy First Ministers. Interestingly, it was in response to what appears to have been an attempt by former NI Secretary of State, Shaun Woodward, to provide a false pretext for a meeting between OFMDFM and the Prime Minister – where budgetary concerns could then be raised. Here are the …

A modest start on the local budget

Brian Walker on November 1, 2010, 12:12 pm

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Peter Robinson’s proposal for a two year pay freeze for public sector workers earning more than the UK average marks a definite start to getting down to local budget negotiations. Gerry Adams’s call in the Assembly last week for a 15% cut in the salaries of MLAs and top civil servants was part of a threadbare offer but at least shares with Peter’s an attack on the public wages bill. Peter’s additional proposal for “an end to “one-step progression” under …

NI Finance Minister: “they are probably delaying or seeking to delay the whole process of trying to make a budget.”

Pete Baker on October 23, 2010, 1:49 pm

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The BBC reports Northern Ireland Finance Minister, the DUP’s Sammy Wilson, criticism of today’s protest in Belfast by the trade unions. …Mr Wilson said unions were “giving false hope to people that somehow or other by holding placards they can avoid these financial choices”. He also accused the unions of using the cuts to gain political clout. “In doing so, they are probably delaying or seeking to delay the whole process of trying to make a budget.” And the NI Executive’s ‘protest’, …

“it’s up to the Executive whether to sell assets like Belfast harbour”

Pete Baker on October 22, 2010, 10:41 pm

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The Northern Ireland Executive met today [To decide what planet they’re living on? – Ed] to discuss the outcome of the 2010 Spending Review. Apparently, they now want to meet with either the “Coalition Government” or the “London Government”. In their statement they can’t decide which. Perhaps the UK Government would do? How about the Northern Ireland Secretary of State? He is a member of that government, after all. And as the NI Secretary of State, Owen Paterson, told the BBC “This is …

Robinson: “This will test the enthusiasm of the Executive for making savings in local government.”

Pete Baker on October 16, 2010, 12:51 pm

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As Brian has already noted, Northern Ireland First Minister, the DUP’s Peter Robinson, has set out his views on the desirability of a “single educational system” here. As, previously, did the NI Secretary of State. We’ll wait to see if the deputy First Minister is still “all for it”. But in his speech Peter Robinson also tackled some of Sinn Féin’s recent economic proposals. From the DUP leader’s speech Another red herring thrown across the debate to deflect attention from the issue …

Spending cuts prompt Peter’s move on political reform. Will it work?

Brian Walker on October 8, 2010, 12:13 pm

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So Peter is moving on this at last. What’s not clear is his next move other than into thin air. Cutting the sizes of the overblown Assembly and Executive is an appropriate aim with additional political motives. It follows on the proposed reduction of Westminster seats and Stormont constituencies to 15 and the reduction by one of the MLAs in each constituency. Peter’s timing suggests he has given up on getting agreement with SF and the other parties behind the scenes. Or …

OFMDFM’s dilemma

Pete Baker on September 16, 2010, 2:06 pm

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Nevermind the Presbyterian moderator, at least he’s going to be there. Our own little Process™ might have got a special mention as Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Edinburgh today on his first ever state visit to the UK, but no-one from the Northern Ireland Executive was there to hear it – despite an invitation being sent to the Office of the First and deputy First Ministers. Apparently that’s what happens when you can’t meet the Pope/Queen without meeting the Queen/Pope… Adds An otherwise somewhat unbalanced BBC report notes …

Minister on “solo run with enormous financial implications” without Executive approval

Pete Baker on September 13, 2010, 10:49 pm

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What to make of the Northern Ireland Regional Development Minister, Sinn Fein’s Conor Murphy’s, apparent declaration of intent over NI Water? Some would argue that the stated objective, of ‘re-nationalisation’ [within Northern Ireland] of the Water Service NI Water, was the main reason behind the ongoing saga. From the BBC report Finance Minister Sammy Wilson criticised Mr Murphy’s proposals as “expensive and unrealistic”. “Bringing Northern Ireland Water back, and he has admitted this himself, into full public ownership would have revenue consequences, making …

Dealing with cuts “will present the Executive with its biggest policy challenge to date”

Pete Baker on September 13, 2010, 3:36 pm

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There’s been much public posturing from the two main [mandatory] coalition parties here following comments by the Northern Ireland First Minister, the DUP’s Peter Robinson, about the expected cuts in public expenditure. Reported attempts by the deputy First Minister, Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness, to play down suggestions of a split appear to have fallen on deaf, non-Ministerial, ears within his own party. Mark Devenport tells us that DUP sources reckon there’s a difference between the public line being pushed in Sinn …

“If the [EU] Commission asks what progress has been made… the departments will be exposed”

Pete Baker on August 20, 2010, 10:34 pm

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BBC NI’s Mike McKimm reports on five years of failure to act by the Northern Ireland Departments of the Environment, and Agriculture, following a formal written warning from the EU Commission in 2005 over the plight of [protected species] horse mussel beds in Strangford Lough [added link]. A Freedom of Information request was involved. The ministers concerned did manage to summon the press for a photo-opportunity on the issue in January 2009. But that’s about the only activity we’ve seen. From the BBC report Again …

“there was good news and bad news…”

Pete Baker on August 4, 2010, 2:33 pm

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The still-Northern Ireland Finance Minister, the DUP’s Sammy Wilson, won’t be making a formal statement to the Assembly until September, but he’s written to MLAs to inform them of the NI Executive’s decisions about this year’s additional cuts in departmental budgets. From the Belfast Telegraph report In a letter penned to MLAs he said: “The main issue facing the Executive in this round was how best to address the £127.8m reduction in funding arising as a consequence of the announcement made by …

The semi-detached polit-bureau in action

Pete Baker on July 29, 2010, 3:17 pm

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They just can’t help themselves… Mr McGuinness was speaking at the official opening of the first high-speed road link between Belfast and Dublin. He said: “I think Peter Robinson and I will have more good news to announce in regard to the development of the Maze/Long Kesh site. “We have actually reached agreement and we will publicly announce how we intend to take that forward over the next very short while.” As both the BBC and UTV Press Association note …

“We are fully aware of the urgency of this matter…”

Pete Baker on July 21, 2010, 4:31 pm

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The BBC reports on a meeting today chaired by Northern Ireland Secretary of State, Owen Paterson, and attended by NI First and Deputy First Ministers Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness, Finance Minister Sammy Wilson, Northern Ireland Minister Hugo Swire and Mark Hoban, financial secretary to the Treasury. The topic? The troubled Presbyterian Mutual Society. From the NI Secretary of State’s statement Speaking after the meeting, Mr Paterson said: “Both before and since the General Election, the Prime Minister and I have …

Stormont inertia blocking future FDI to the NI economy?

Mick Fealty on July 21, 2010, 9:48 am

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Francess McDonnell argues that it is the political inertia surrounding the institutions in Stormont that’s giving investors pause for thought at a time of huge global flux. In particular she hones in on the lack of productivity from that quarter in advance of what could otherwise be an useful opportunity to spotlight Northern Ireland’s potential in Washingon at the US-NI Economic Conference on October 19th: Perhaps, before the conference, a few self-help classes might be in order. Among the first …

Dysfunctional? Or just incompetent?

Pete Baker on June 22, 2010, 1:35 pm

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Northern Ireland Assembly Speaker has called on the NI Education Minister, Sinn Féin’s Caitriona Ruane, to apologise to the House after the minister failed to make a scheduled statement on her department’s programme of capital building schemes. From the BBC report The minister later explained she had mistakenly stayed in another meeting until 1033 BST, three minutes after she should have been addressing MLA’s. She also failed to supply MLAs with a copy of her statement half an hour before she was due …

NI Minister of State confirms 2011 local elections for 26 councils

Pete Baker on June 21, 2010, 3:55 pm

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The BBC notes confirmation from the NI Minister of State, Hugo Swire, MP, that local elections will be held in 2011 for the existing 26 councils. The decision follows the dysfunctional NI Executive’s semi-detached polit-bureau’s failure to agree on the proposed local government reform. From the report Mr Swire said he had written to the first and deputy first ministers confirming local elections in 2011 will be held to the existing 26 councils. The Minister said: “Like many, I am disappointed …

Where’s the government’s response to Eames/Bradley?

Pete Baker on June 20, 2010, 9:57 pm

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Brian’s suggestion to “Look again now at the legacy commission” pre-empted Mark Devenport’s discussion of that topic on Inside Politics with, among others, the former Northern Ireland Secretary of State, Peter Hain. From Mark Devenport’s blog On cost, Mr Hain argued that now justice has been devolved the expense of whatever truth recovery process is embarked upon will have to be borne by the devolved budget. This echoes the sentiment of the Westminster Northern Ireland Affairs Committee which argued in its …

Semi-detached polit-bureau at loggerheads over Council reform

Pete Baker on June 10, 2010, 11:26 pm

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The BBC has the latest on the dysfunctional Northern Ireland Executive’s semi-detached polit-bureau’s failure to agree on local government reform Executive ministers have adjourned five-hour long meeting aimed at resolving the impasse over the future of local government. Ministers are due to meet again on Monday after further discussions over the weekend about a plan to reduce the 26 councils to 11. Pete Baker

New NI Attorney General Sworn In

Pete Baker on June 9, 2010, 10:43 pm

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As the BBC notes, Northern Ireland’s new Attorney General John Larkin was sworn in at the Royal Courts of Justice in Belfast today. After taking the oath, Mr Larkin pledged his full backing for the independence of barristers. “I intend to support our independent bar to the best of my ability,” he said. “What I do want to do here is to declare my firm view that an independent bar is a strong and protective force in and for the …